Taking the Hit
by CCisGod
Summary: Coming back from a mission, Carol and Bones decide that they're going to fake being married, even if just to convince everyone they can get along.
1. Chapter 1

_There are fine lines between love and hate._

...

As far as Bones can tell, Carol Marcus has set out to make his life a living hell. He doesn't mean this jokingly, but since the aftermath of Khan, the ship had been spruced up and repaired by Scotty and Carol has been just hell for him to deal with. He'd made one comment about her being pretty. _One_, inconsequential comment during a terse, dangerous, and heated moment. She'd made a mountain out of a molehill. Since then, she'd made endless, flirtatious comments in passing- it felt like being in high school again, which in itself was ridiculous enough. She was blonde, fit, and pretty, like any head cheerleader, and just as rude to him.

She'd visit him in the med bay, with fire in her eyes and packing something new to say to him. The first few times, he'd tried to be as cordial as he could, but the bantering couldn't remain one sided.

Five years in space. _Five years_, he'll have to deal with this. Her walking in, and walking away with her head high, while he was left standing alone, unsettled by her attitude. Chapel had been there a number of times, only to shrug and say that it wasn't any worse than what he delt out himself.

Bones thought he was going to do something rash about it all. He'd spoken to Jim about it, more than once, and it was well known about the ship that they didn't get along very well. Jim had told him that they just really needed to get this sexual tension out of the way.

Which is why Bones was furious about the notice he'd gotten about their next mission.

"Jim, what the hell is this?" Bones asked as he was exiting the elevator onto the bridge. Jim had the nerve to look and act innocent.

"What's what, Bones?"

"Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not an idiot! This mission says I have to prepare to leave for two weeks on Alpha III to check in on their bases? We aren't a command vessel, we're an exploration ship."

"Oh, I know. But I'm getting pressure from above my head on this one, Bones," Jim stood up and began walking over to the elevator,"but don't worry, you won't be going alone."

"Jim, what do you mean?"

Bones followed him into the elevator, and Jim waited for the door to close.

"Who else is going? Jim!"

The door opened again, and Bones stared at the woman standing at the entrance of the elevator.

"_No._" Bones groaned.

"Jim, just the person I wanted to speak to." She paused and looked over at Bones's horrified expression. "What's the matter, doctor? Captain got your tongue?"

His face pinched as he turned to face Jim again. Jim was smirking and shaking his head.

Jim moved and clasped him hands over both Bones and Carol's shoulders, and smiled.

"Have fun you two!" He said eagerly, before departing.

Carol looked over at Bones, who had a look of such displeasure, she almost took glee in it.

"That was unusual, even for Jim. But I've still got to talk to him about this Alpha III mission. Do you know anything about it?" She wasn't entirely sure why she was even talking to Bones about it, but judging by the message, Carol guessed few people had heard about it. The surge of eliteness and pride was petty and childish, she knew, but holding even a small bit over Bones was enjoyable.

Though, Bones smirked at her, which was unnerving.

"I don't know much about it, but I guess we'll find out together."

This time, Bones walked away, leaving Carol unsettled.

A/N: Alpha III is a federation planet that I googled. Sounded fitting for my intents and purposes.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm so excited to write this! On a side note, _this ship needs more writers. _

_thank_

_Jim, when I imagined being marooned for two weeks with a gorgeous woman, she wouldn't damn well hate me!_

Bones sat heavily next to the things he just finished packing.

While he and Carol had respectively pitched a fit to Jim about going on this mission, and unless either of them handed in their resignations today, they'd both be going. From what he'd gathered, he and Carol would be going around Alpha III's hospitals and other federation buildings to check up on stock, supplies and overall well being.

It was all starting to sound very put-on and ridiculous. They were both doctors, damn it! Not just some agents that the federation could send to 'check up on things' and more or less take stock.

It only became more ridiculous when Bones saw the shuttle they were getting on to go down to Alpha III. Apparently, it would waste too much time for the ship to go down and land itself, as the rest of the crew was going on to an exploratory mission for the next two weeks, without them.

The whole mission was starting to feel more like marooning rather than a special assignment. Bones was glum, especially at the sight of the small shuttle they were given to share. _Lieutenant Marcus_ apparently had flight experience, and was the reason why they didn't even need a pilot for the mission.

She was waiting for him in the shuttle when he got there. Bones held in a sigh.

"I think I know why they're doing this." Carol spoke without looking at him, sitting in the pilot's seat, readying the controls and such.

"Why's that?" Bones found himself asking, and crossing his arms.

"They don't think that we're working well together. And especially since both of us are... senior, that can't happen."

Bones couldn't hold in the scoff.

"'They'? Who's they?"

Carol turned to face Bones at his questioning.

"My father had told me about our supposedly Utopian society. Why do you think everything's so efficient, and everyone seems to work so hard and well? 'They' are Kirk's senior, you senior, my senior. Our society is a well-oiled machine, and each cog has to work well with the other cogs."

Bones's face became stony. He mulled over her words for a moment. She was more senior than him, but not as much as Kirk, and Kirk would've told jim about something like this. Her father had been certifiably insane, but extremely well-informed.

"What happens if the cogs don't fit?" He almost hadn't wanted to ask, but the question slipped out.

She gave him a look that told him all he needed to know.

They had to come back from this mission much happier than they were leaving.

_line break_

Their departure from the USS Enterprise went smoothly, with a warm goodbye from Uhura, Scotty (who always seemed to be hovering around the engines, any loose ship parts, and Uhura), and Jim.

The air around the two of them was tense, once they were alone. Bones glanced over at the young Lieutenant, only to see her determined face intently focused on the flying at hand.

Bones grimaced at the distaste in his mouth. Two weeks could be worse than five years. His eyes drifted to the structure of the shuttle. Despite having faith in Scotty, it didn't change the fact that this shuttle could be compromised.

Aviophobia was serious.

Even if Bones didn't want to spend two weeks _alone_ with her, he didn't want to die more, especially in some shuttle deathtrap. Even just a crack in the hull could be the cause of an untimely death.

Bones felt his stomach lurch, and ran his hand over his face, and closed his eyes as he took off the headset. His hands, of their own accord moved to the arm rests and held them in a death grip.

"Are you okay?"

Bones cracked one eye open uneasily, to look at her.

"I've got Aviophobia."

Bones scowled at her barely suppressed laugh.

"I may throw up on you." His words came out in a groan.

Albeit surprisingly, she lands perfectly and Bones survives. There's a crew waiting for them there, which also isn't very surprising. Alpha III is a very well built federation planet, and filled with people, but away from command central nonetheless.

They'd get started on what they came here for tomorrow. Today, they'd be going to their first set of accommodations. This time, when Bones's stomach lurched, it was for an entirely different reason.

He had a few facts set in his mind. First of all, Carol Marcus was exceedingly gorgeous. Second of all, she was witty, and tasteful, which added to her overall image. Thirdly, she didn't seem to like him much at all.

And fourthly, or just plain additionally, Bones really, _really_ didn't want to get sucked back into another relationship. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to be with another woman again.

He mulled over that for a moment before correcting his thoughts. That was a lie. Even now, he wanted to be with a woman. He held in the sigh of defeat on that one.

But it didn't change the fact that he and Carol would be sharing a room for two weeks.

_this is a line break_

Carol's thoughts were not dissimilar to Bones's that day. Since the Khan incident, and her father's death, she tried her hardest to not retreat from people, or break.

Some days, Carol felt like a broken cog.

Most of everyone on the USS Enterprise was welcoming, and warm, with the exception of Spock, who's afflictions she passed off with his Vulcan heritage. The ship and its crew were beginning to feel like home to her, and she appreciated it, more than anything. Residual anger towards her father, what he had done, or almost done, was sometimes infective.

She was angry, so _angry_ at him, for what he'd done and tried to do, and it was a massive betrayal. It simply hurt, and was hard to let go of that pain. And worst of all, her father was dead.

Here, now, she was faced with residual affects from him. Bones was already known as the brilliant, though snarky, doctor of the ship. She couldn't help but find that side of herself to bring out- at first it was just the ease of playful banter. Flirtatious in any aspect, or not, it was freeing. The rest of the ship, while warm and loving, wasn't the place for that. He always seemed to be scowling, and fixing someone up, all while locked up in the med bay.

It was just _easy_ to fall into a sort of synchronization. There was an ebb and flow to it- he'd be scowling when she walked in, and when she left, he was at least halfway smiling or smirking. Which, in turn, gave Carol new cause to smile.

And Carol wanted to be strong.

People would talk, as they always did, and she'd have to be strong for that. Of all of the people she'd encountered, he was one of the few who had never spoken two words to her about her father. She almost respected him for that

That, didn't however, include how she felt about this.

Bones was stiff and stoic next to her, and it just reminded how they were more or less shoved into this situation. She wouldn't have minded it as much if she had been alone to collect data and such. She'd have difficulty focusing with him on edge like this the whole bloody time.

"Bones," he turned to look at her and Carol continued, "I think that we should form a truce. Or, at least try to look civil."

"Listen sweetheart-" Bones began

"First off, I don't like being called sweetheart," Carol spoke with restrained distaste, "we'll make it work. It'll have to." She takes a deep breath at that, forcing herself to ignore his bemused expression, lest she strikes him.

As they walked side-by-side to the entrance of their hotel-like accommodations, Carol tried picturing them working well together. It wasn't hard by any stretch of the imagination, as he was intelligent, thoughtful -not to mention attractive- and she could see them getting along. The idealistic picture her mind had spun was interrupted by the door to their shared room being opened.

It was far from small, at any rate.

Both of the doctors silently admired the large room, combined with two beds, and immediately thought of the small rooms on the enterprise in comparison to this.

This could be almost a vacation.

"Huh."

A/N: please review, it makes me happy to read, seriously.

_They don't hate each other, not really._


End file.
